


After the Dome

by Aurora1994



Series: Under the Dome [2]
Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: AU, Blood and Violence, Multi, Nicole as Supernatural Creature, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Other Characters to Add maybe, References and Non-Canonical Religious Beings, Sex, Slow Burn, Supernatural Elements, Under the Dome AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-04
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:35:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25068526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aurora1994/pseuds/Aurora1994
Summary: When something begins, it will never find a real end; we never really die. That's the case with this second part of Under the Dome.I can't write much, or I could make a spoiler for those who haven't read the first part (haven't you read the first part? Run and do it, what are you waiting for?).In this second part we'll meet old and new characters, explore their stories, and try to understand mysteries that are still unresolved.Wynonna, Waverly, Nicole, Doc and all the prisoners in the dome are back.
Relationships: Waverly Earp/Nicole Haught, Wynonna Earp/Doc Holliday
Series: Under the Dome [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1741378
Comments: 28
Kudos: 27





	1. Two Years Later

**Author's Note:**

> Well, look who's back! Yeah, here I am.  
> As some of you may have noticed, I took a break from the site, but in the last two weeks I had an idea in my head, and I couldn't turn it down! That's right, the second part of this story!  
> I don't know how regularly I bring updates; but feel free to tell me what you think of the story ;)  
> I have some unfinished stories, but that's another story :)  
> Well, as usual: forgive my English.  
> Enjoy it <3  
> Ps. I would like to remind you that this story is not intended to offend anyone's faith or belief. It's just a story.  
> Thank you :)

**After the Dome**

**1**

"Do you ever think, Wynonna, that another catastrophe could strike us?" Waverly looked out the window into a leaden, heavy sky. Her hands were clutching a hot cup of tea.  
"I have a Déjà Vu, Waverly... could you step away from that window or put that cup down?"  
Waverly Earp didn't move, "everything is the same, but at the same time, everything is completely different."  
"I swear if I hear a rumble that isn't thunder, I... I..." but the black-haired woman shivered, unable to finish the sentence.  
"Tell me again why we came back to Homestead, Wynonna." Waverly took a sip of tea while it was still hot, "tell me why everything looks the same as it did two years ago."  
"This is our home." Wynonna replied, fighting against the desire to push Waverly away from the window: it reminded her of the moment when, two years earlier, the dome had fallen, imprisoning Purgatory and its inhabitants. Everything reminded her of that moment: the black sky; Waverly in front of the window; the hot cup of tea...  
Waverly looked at her own reflection on the glass from the window, and she was surprised when she saw her mouth move in a strange smile, "I have a bad feeling, Wynonna." It was true, Waverly Earp had a bad sensation, but she kept smiling.   
Why was she smiling?  
"Why are you smiling, Waverly? You're freaking me the hell..." Wynonna focused on her sister's face.  
The girl hesitated for a few seconds, then she said, "you're gonna hate me, Wynonna, but..." she took a deep breath, "and maybe I hate myself for it too. It's like I can feel Nicole's presence..."  
Waverly's words fell into the room like giant stones.  
"She's dead." Wynonna's voice was trembled, maybe it was rage, maybe it was fear, maybe it was both.  
"I don't know how I'd react if I ever saw her again..." it seemed like Waverly didn't hear what Wynonna had just said, or maybe she chose not to. "Maybe I'll feel fear or maybe I'll feel hatred... I don't know what I'll do if I see her again..."  
A white and blue flash illuminated everything for a few moments. Three seconds later, a loud roar made the window glass shake.  
"God..." Wynonna held her breath.  
The rain began to fall, and its rhythm broke the spell of terror.  
"We're not under a dome." Waverly watched the water drops hit the glass and drip lazily down. "We're not trapped, and I'm a fool." The girl placed the cup on the windowsill, and left the room.  
"Waverly..." Wynonna got off the couch, but Waverly had already vanished.

Waverly came out of Homestead and, without hesitation, began to walk in the rain.   
It had become a tradition for the people of Purgatory not to use an umbrella and take long walks in the rain. Containers had sprung up everywhere to collect rainwater and new wells to store it.   
There weren't many people left in Purgatory anymore, but those few who had decided not to leave their city would never forget those months under the dome.  
Waverly kept walking toward the spot where she had seen the dome fall.   
A powerful testimony of the enormous transparent prison still remained: Nicole's car -Morgana- had been transformed into a monument and lay on the side of the main road, as a warning, as an indelible memory. The furrow left by the dome, as was later discovered, was only three centimetres wide, but at least forty kilometres deep. Waverly had calculated that, under Purgatory, the Earth's crust was no thicker than forty kilometres, even if they had found a way to dig that deep, they would still not have escaped.  
Waverly Earp stopped a few steps from Morgana, which, as mentioned before, had been turned into a monument: it was still broken in half, but it had been submerged in concrete, so that no one could move it.  
"There is no wall left, but something is keeping me from crossing the boundary."   
"Jesus!" Waverly suddenly turned around, frightened by the voice behind her.  
Virginia Clark smiled, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." She said, without taking her eyes off the groove on the asphalt.  
"It's nothing..." Waverly answered. She knew why Virginia did not cross that invisible and symbolic boundary: she and Michael had founded a kind of cult, in which crossing the boundaries of the dome ghost was an affront to their God: Nicole. They were convinced that they would die if they stepped over the boundary left by the dome. Everyone who remained knew of the existence of that new cult, but no one spoke openly about it. In fact, maybe Waverly and her family were the only ones who found it wrong and stupid.  
"I know I've asked you this question before," Virginia said, "but on rainy days, this thought becomes even stronger and more intrusive... Do you think She will come back?"  
Waverly struggled to breathe: it was the same question she had been asking herself for two years, and it became harder for her to ask herself the same question on rainy days.  
"I don't know, Virginia." Waverly answered.  
The girl looked up at the monument-car, "you were very lucky, Waverly, not everyone has the privilege of being loved by a God."  
Waverly felt a chill running up her spine: it was the feeling that any fanatic caused her, always.  
"I don't know if she knew of my love." Virginia continued, without taking her eyes off the monument. "When I realized I was in love with Her, well, I knew she was in love with you. I stayed away, I knew there was nothing I could do to win her heart, not like you did."  
Waverly felt a growing sense of discomfort, and to ignore it, she said, "do you think she really loved me?"  
Virginia moved a wet lock of hair off her face, "maybe you're the only one who never noticed. We all saw the way she looked at you, the way she smiled when she heard your voice and the light in her eyes when she talked about you."  
Waverly discovered that those words gave her a strange feeling. In order not to be overwhelmed by those emotions, the girl decided to focus on the beating sound of the rain.  
"I don't hate you for it," Virginia looked at her, "I'm just jealous."  
"Envy is a sin." Waverly didn't know why she said that. Maybe she just wanted to scare Virginia, like Virginia did after all.  
From Virginia's lips, an emotionless laugh escaped, "maybe, or maybe it doesn't matter at all."  
A few minutes passed, in which neither of them uttered a single word.  
Waverly interrupted the sound of the rain, "there is no place for gods in this world."  
Virginia seemed to think of Waverly's words for a few seconds, and then she said, "Are human beings capable of living without believing in something greater?"  
Waverly shook her head, "no, of course not. But that something bigger doesn't have to be a God. I was talking about something different, wondering if it was right to see a God or a demon, if these beings could really walk beside humans."  
"She did." Virginia answered.  
"And was it right?" Waverly didn't know why she was going on.  
Virginia Clark smiled, "who can say?"

<><><>

  
"Sometimes I wonder what's the point of wearing this uniform." Michael Verdi took a sip from his beer mug, "I mean, there are sixty of us left. Does this town really still need the sheriff's office?" He finished the beer, "they're all afraid of being punished for anything."  
"Fear leads people down dangerous paths." Doc Holliday lit his cigar, "we decided to stay."  
"I ain't taking my ass outside these boundaries." The young man seemed about to add something, but in the end he just nodded to the bartender for more beer.  
The man with the cowboy hat smiled, "sometimes I get angry thinking that there are still people in this town who hope for Nicole's return, that they consider her a hero... a God."  
Michael risked choking on the beer he'd just been given.  
"I know you're one of them, Michael. But I also know that none of you are really to blame for what happened two years ago." The cowboy drops the cigar ashes in the ashtray next to the beer mug. "And I also know that each of us is free to interpret the facts as we see fit."  
"She tried to do the right thing, and in the end She saved us all." Michael said, "as far as I was concerned, she wasn't evil. But I know She threw your ass through the dome, I know she caused your family pain."  
"Why doesn't anyone say her name anymore? Nicole, that was her name." The man quit his cigar, while Michael became as stiff as a piece of wood.  
"Nicole has condemned hundreds of innocent people to death. She was the daughter of Satan. I'm not judging you, Michael, I'm done feeling hate, but please be careful what you wish for." Doc got up, headed to the counter to pay the count.  
Left alone, Michael joined his hands in prayer and he whispered, "Forgive him, Nicole, he doesn't know what he's saying."  
Michael remembered well the moment when he discovered that Nicole was not human, the moment when he realized that he had walked beside a God, a God who had chosen and protected him. It had been the most beautiful moment of his entire existence.  
Michael did not forget that Nicole was in love with the girl he was in love with, but he had chosen to see it as a sign: he loved the same woman as a God: Waverly Earp.

<><><>

"I'm going to read!" Alice greeted the doctor, sitting in his old chair, while a football game was on TV.  
"Alice, don't stand in the rain!" He said, turning around to look at his daughter.  
The little one stopped at the door, "I won't wet the book, don't worry! I'm going to the tree house!"  
"It's not the book I'm worried about..." the doctor said, but Alice had already closed the door behind her.

Young Alice had just turned twelve, and her passion for reading had grown with her. Perhaps her father was sorry not to read her Alice's adventures the night before she went to sleep, but she knew that her father understood that she was growing up.  
Alice leaned her back against the branch of a tree, which grew inside the tree house like a curious leprechaun, or so Alice liked to imagine.   
She opened the big book that she had protected from the rain with her skirt, and began to read 'Le Cronache del Mondo Emerso': a fantasy book by the author Licia Troisi; she hadn't found an English version, so she had undertaken to read it in the original language, Italian.  
Alice took off the bookmark and immersed herself in the story; she had reached the point where the protagonist of the story -Nihal- was left alone in a large clearing. Alice also imagined she was in a clearing in the dark night to pass the test. Alice's test would be to complete the chapter by the afternoon; it was not easy to read in a language other than her own, but with passion and commitment you can do anything.  
She was at the point in the chapter where the wizard's apprentice reached Nihal - breaking the rules - to bring her something to eat, when Alice heard a strange sound coming from under the tree.  
At first, Alice tried to ignore the strange sound that came with the sound of rain: she wanted to pass the test, she wanted to finish the chapter. But in the end, curiosity won.  
"What are you doing?" Alice asked, leaning her head over the edge of the floor.  
The white rabbit stopped digging with its paws, or hitting the roots -Alice was not sure- and looked up.  
"Are you the White Rabbit, are you?"   
The animal put itself on its hind legs, and with its front legs it began to... massage his soft, fluffy, white belly?  
"Oh, wow!" Alice exclaimed, when she saw that the rabbit was holding a pocket watch in its right paw. "I knew you really existed!"   
The white rabbit put his watch inside the bushy white fur, hit the roots a couple more times, then it ran away.  
"Wait, don't go away!" Alice tried to throw the book as gently as she could, and immediately afterwards she started to go down the rope, "wait for me, bunny rabbit!".  
Unfortunately, when Alice touched the wet grass with her feet, the rabbit had already disappeared.  
"How sad I am... I just wanted to caress him a little..." Alice stood still in the rain for a few more seconds, hoping to see the rabbit again.  
When she was sure that by now she had lost sight of the animal, she decided to go up again to resume reading, but a female voice, severe but sweet, made her turn around.  
"Don't be sad, my sweet Alice." A tall woman with a blue eye, above which there was a huge scar, smiled at Alice, "I'm sure he' ll come back."


	2. The New Beginning of a New End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, it took me a while to update. Sorry.  
> I hope you're all okay!

**2**

"You're Nicole!" Alice's face was radiant, "I knew you'd come back!"   
The blue-eyed woman studied the girl's face, and remained silent.  
"I told my father..." Alice hesitated for a few seconds, "but he didn't want to believe it. He says the city's gone crazy with this new religion."  
From the woman's open lips came a hiss, which could have been an annoyed or amused laughter, it was not clear.  
"Tell me, Miss Nicole, how did you get back?" Alice seemed really intrigued and happy about Nicole's presence.  
Nicole sat on her ankles, lowering herself to the height of Alice's face, "in Wonderland anything is possible." The woman smiled at the growing joy that illuminated the child's face even more, and gave her a caress on the head, "I'm happy to see you again, my sweet Alice".  
"I'm glad to see you too, Miss Nicole." The little girl's fingers touched the enormous scar that from Nicole's forehead reached under her cheekbone. "I love this mark so much, and also your eye."  
"You're getting all wet." Nicole got up, " You' re gonna catch a cold in this way."  
"Are you leaving, Miss Nicole?" Alice looked up to meet Nicole's again.  
Nicole smiled, "there's someone I need to meet." The woman turned and took a few steps, then she stopped and said, "for now it would be better if our meeting remained a little secret of our own".  
"No matter what people think of you, Miss Nicole, I know you're good."   
Nicole smiled before vanishing into a black cloud.

<><><>

"What if she really comes back...?" Wynonna Earp put her head on Henry's legs.  
The cowboy sank even deeper into the living room couch, and sighing, he said, "it looks like Nicole is the topic of the day."  
Wynonna didn't move, "when hasn't she been the topic of the day for two years?"  
"What reason would she have to come back?" The man asked.  
Wynonna stiffened, "Waverly."  
The cowboy remained silent.  
"I don't know, I feel something different today... I feel like two years ago." Wynonna said, starting playing with a crease in her husband's jeans.  
"Nicole is dead. She put a bullet in her skull. I personally took care of getting the residue of her brain off the asphalt."  
"John!" Wynonna turned her head to look the cowboy in the eye.  
"I'm sorry, honey. It wasn't gentle at all on my part. But she's dead. She ain't coming back."  
Wynonna sighed, "how much I wish I could believe you..."

<><><>

"We knew you'd come back, your ass is too strong!" Michael had painted a smile on his face similar to Alice's, yet completely different.  
"Michael!" Virginia struck the young man with a look, "Sorry, Miss Nicole, I haven't been able to teach him manners yet..." she said, looking at Nicole.  
The red-haired woman moved slightly to the armchair to find a more comfortable position, and without responding, she let her gaze wander over the walls of Michael's basement. Everywhere there were pictures and images of Nicole, even a lock of hair hanging from the ceiling. Nicole had no idea when she had lost it.   
"This makes me uncomfortable." She only said, looking for a moment more at the photos and drawings that represented her. When were those pictures made?   
"I'm sorry...!" Michael turned to stone, he seemed unable to move or even breathe, "I'll take them off... you're here now... if you want to..."  
Even Virginia remained motionless, afraid of the way Nicole might react, "I'm sorry..."  
"It's a freak thing." Nicole continued as if the other two hadn't spoken."I mean, come on!" Despite her words, her tone was flat and monotonous.  
"If you want... if you want them off, Nicole... I'll take them off..." Michael said again.  
And Nicole continued to ignore him, focusing her attention on her left hand.  
Virginia wondered if Nicole had ever been as cold with Waverly as she was with them... as if she didn't care at all.  
Nicole seemed to read Virginia's mind, because she said, "I'm sorry, guys. I gotta get used to living and interacting with real people again, and..." But Nicole didn't finish the sentence. The sound of rain pounding on the roof had suddenly become the only thing that mattered. How beautiful the rain is.  
"It's nothing..." Michael started, but he stopped when Nicole  
put her index finger in front of her mouth.  
"Shh..." Nicole said, before she closed her eyes and put her head against the back of the armchair.  
Several minutes passed, during which Virginia and Michael seemed terrified of breathing too loudly. Why did Nicole seem so frightening now? Because she was no longer the Nicole they had known... what had changed?

"Do you know?" Nicole's voice made the two guys jump.  
"What, Miss Nicole?" Virginia asked, hoping that talking would not unleash Nicole's wrath.  
The woman opened her eyes and smiled horribly, "It's not raining in hell."  
The silence fell in the room, it seemed as if even the rain was frightened.  
"Oh, come on!" Nicole laughed. "Why are you so stiff?"  
The two guys didn't answer, they didn't do anything at all.   
Nicole was acting like a psycho.  
"I thought the three of us made a good team." Nicole got up to get closer to Virginia.  
The girl's face turned whiter than milk, but her cheeks turned apple red, "Miss Nicole...?"  
Nicole's face and Virginia's were closer together. So close that Virginia could discern a hint of vanilla in Nicole's sulfuric smell. She had never been so close to her mouth, the thought almost made her faint.  
Nicole's eyes were on Virginia's face.  
"You'd like to meet my lips, wouldn't you? Stick your tongue in my mouth and play with my." Nicole's breath warms Virginia's nose and mouth. The girl had the feeling that her thighs were wet; maybe it was excitement, maybe it was pee coming down from fear... maybe it was both.  
Once again, Nicole seemed to read her mind, "do you like if I do this?" Her hand leaned against the crotch of Virginia's pants, and Nicole could feel all the moisture from that spot.   
Virginia was on the verge of losing consciousness, and in order not to, or to do so, she raised her eyes to Nicole's, "Miss... Nicole...?"  
Nicole smiled and took her hand off Virginia's pants and walked away from her. "I'm sorry, Virginia. I was just checking in."  
Virginia let herself slide down, unable to stand.  
"Check... what, Nicole?" Michael's voice was barely heard.  
Nicole sat back in the armchair, "that old bastard is very clever."  
"Who?"Michael's voice was shaking.  
Nicole smiled and, if possible, she flaunted an even uglier smile than before, "who can say?" Her smile became fierce and threatening, "what a shitty vice she has!"  
He wanted to ask who she was talking about, but "and... and I'm okay?" Michael asked, after a few seconds, when the rain had started to fall again.  
Nicole's face welcomed the return of a smile, in some way, normal, "I'm not going to touch your balls, Michael."  
"No!" The boy screamed, "no, no, no, forgive me! I didn't mean that...! I just... I just..."  
"Calm down and breathe." Nicole said, looking him in the eyes. "Breathe."  
Michele nodded vigorously, while his mahogany skin regained some color.   
"Good." Nicole nodded, then she looked at Virginia, who was still sitting on the floor, "I need you to do something for me, Virginia."  
The girl needed a few seconds to respond, "anything for you, Miss Nicole." She said.

<><><>

"Thanks, Larry." Waverly Earp smiled at the old grocery store clerk, she grabbed the shopping bag and turned around. That's when everything in the bag fell to the floor.  
"Shit!" Waverly sighed, carrying a hand to her chest, inside which her heart pounded hard.  
"Need a hand, kid?" Larry asked.  
"I'll help her, Larry." Virginia got down on her knees to pick up the cans and bread that had fallen to the ground.  
"Shit, Virginia... twice in one day is too much..." Waverly said, bowing down to retrieve her alimony, too.  
"I didn't mean to scare you, Waverly." Virginia picked up the last can, "but I don't understand: twice in one day? I haven't seen you in over a week." She seemed confused.  
Waverly was confused, too, "what? No, this morning in front of the monument machine, remember?"  
Virginia shook her head, "sorry, I don't know what you're talking about..."  
"But..." Waverly couldn't figure out if the girl was messing with her or what. In the end, Virginia's confused expression seemed pretty sincere to her, "what am I surprised about? This is Purgatory..."  
"Yeah..." Virginia decided not to care about it either, and she said, "Can we go out? I'd like to ask you something." She pointed her thumb out of the store.  
"Sure." Waverly nodded.

Now that she looked at her in daylight, perhaps because of the rain, Waverly thought that Virginia seemed upset and scared, but also that she was struggling to hide her condition. Waverly decided it was none of her business, and she asked, "what did you want to talk to me about?"  
"You must leave Purgatory." Virginia's words fell like rocks on Waverly.  
"What?" It was all Waverly could ask for.  
"Just do it, okay?" Virginia was very nervous, and she kept avoiding Waverly's eyes.  
"No. First explain to me why I should do that." Waverly placed the grocery bag on the wall of the store, out of the rain.  
"I can't." Virginia shook her head, she looked like she was about to cry.  
"Are you kidding me?"  
Virginia shook her head again and she bit her lower lip, perhaps to hold back words or tears, perhaps both, "please..."  
"Why did you deny we saw each other this morning? And why are you talking nonsense now? Are you trying to drive me crazy or do you just like fucking with me?" Waverly was getting angry.  
"Please..." Tears had begun to fall from Virginia's eyes, and now they were mixed up with the rain, "say nothing to anyone and leave Purgatory..."  
"Listen to me, Virginia, we have a good doctor in town, go to him." Waverly picked up the groceries and she walked to the blue van, without looking back, without seeing Virginia fall on her knees shaken by the sobs.

<><><>

So he was supposed to tell everyone in the cult to stop? Or not? Nicole hadn't been clear about it. Actually, she hadn't really expressed any opinion about it.  
Michael took his head in both hands, the same hands that were still holding a picture of Nicole.  
To be honest, Nicole didn't seem to care.  
Maybe she found it ridiculous and stupid, even distasteful?  
Wait! Michael suddenly raised his head. Was he really going to tell everyone that Nicole was back?! Was he really that stupid?  
So what was he supposed to do? Needless to say, he had no idea.  
The boy went on to take the pictures off the walls.  
There was another thought that bothered Michael. Why had Nicole sent Virginia to Waverly?  
"And where did Nicole go...?" He thought out loud. "What did she mean by 'it's time to make some mess'?


	3. Welcome to Purgatory

**3**

"...She's a demon, she's a demon... can't help myself I love her so... Yeah, she's a demon, she's a demon... the one I give my heart and soul..."  
"What are you singing, Miss Nicole?" Alice's little head peeped out over the floor of the tree house. "Who is the demon?"  
Nicole smiled for the presence of the girl, "it's a song by a metal band, my sweet Alice. But I think you're still too young for this kind of music." Nicole put down the book she was holding between her long, diaphanous fingers, and knelt down: the tree house was too small for her to stand up, "sorry I invaded your shelter.  
"It can be yours, too, if you want!" Alice said, going up to the one little room.  
"You are very kind to me, my sweet Alice." Nicole smiled at the little one.  
"What were you doing besides singing, Miss Nicole?" Alice asked, sitting next to Nicole.  
Nicole looked for a more comfortable position, and smiling, said, "I was enjoying the positive energy you have given this place.  
"Me?" Alice seemed confused, but also happy, "how?"  
"You see," Nicole said, "our presence, our thoughts and even our words shaped the place where we live. It's as if part of our souls fused with the walls. Do you know what I mean?"  
The little girl was silent for a few seconds, then, "not if I'm sure... what's 'shaping'?"  
"It's like modeling, like clay or pongo, you know?" Nicole answered, patiently.  
"Or flour to make fresh pasta!" Alice screamed, excited to finally understand and learn a new term.   
Somehow, even though she was already twelve years old, Alice was both very childish and very mature. A rarity, a rare pearl... something to shape...  
"Very good, high-five!"Nicole raised her hand, and when her palm met Alice's little hand, Nicole felt even more peace.  
Yeah, something to shape... Or not touch at all...   
"I feel very good with you, Miss Nicole."  
"So do I, my sweet Alice, so do I." Nicole answered.  
...Or to protect...

  
<><><>

  
"Waverly!" Wynonna shouted.  
The girl took her eyes out the window and turned to Wynonna. "There's no reason to scream, Wynonna..."  
The white-haired woman put her hands on her hips, "I've been calling your name for at least two minutes." Then her tone softened, "Is everything okay?"  
Waverly hesitated before answering, "I think so..."  
"But...?" Wynonna advanced into Waverly's room.  
The girl shrugged her shoulders, "nothing important. Before I met Virginia Clark and... I don't know, she was acting weird."  
"Did she bother you with the cult thing?" Wynonna's eyes seemed to glow with rage, an effect increased by the colors of the sunset.  
"No, she didn't mention it, actually." Waverly wondered if she should tell Wynonna what Virginia had told her, but in the end she didn't think it would make sense to worry her sister.  
"So what did she do to scare you?" Wynonna got even closer to Waverly.  
"Do I look scared?" Waverly asked.  
"Yes, Waverly, you do."  
Waverly nodded, "well, I'm not. I'm just tired, and then we talked about it this morning... I have thoughts that bother me, but they'll pass. As you can see, the sun has already returned and my demons are leaving." She said, pointing at the sunset behind her.  
'But it's about to disappear again...' Wynonna thought, but she considered it wiser to keep that thought to herself.  
"What did you want, Wynonna? Why were you looking for me?"  
"I wanted to ask you if you wanted to accompany me to the airport. Doc's new colleague will be arriving shortly and he doesn't have a car." Wynonna answered.  
"Ah, now I remember, the new cop. What's his name?"  
Wynonna shrugged, "if Henry said that, I don't remember."

Waverly thought her heart might explode in her chest. A few feet and she and Wynonna would have crossed the boundaries left by the dome. Would they really do that? Would they have succeeded? Or would they crash?   
Wynonna seemed to read her mind, "how many times have we gone outside the boundaries of the dome in the last two years?" She asked, squeezing the steering wheel harder.  
"One." Waverly replied, "when we went to Aunt Maria's in Italy."  
Just a few more feet, too many for Waverly's crazy heart.  
While the car leapt through the furrows of the ground, left by the dome, Waverly held her breath. And with the last rays of the sunset, the car continued on the main road.  
"Shit..." Wynonna sighed.  
"Did you, too, Wynonna, for a moment, think we were gonna crash?"  
The white-haired woman just nodded.  
"Yeah..." Waverly said, finally relaxing in the seat of the blue van. Then she looked in the side mirror and, she could have sworn, for a brief, intense moment, she was convinced that she saw Nicole next to the monument car.   
"No!" She thinks, "No, Nicole is dead... this is over.' She tried to convince herself that anxiety had made her see things that weren't real, and struggling to believe it, she looked forward.

<><><>

  
Nicole smiled when she saw the blue van leave the confines of the dome. Waverly would be safe, away from Purgatory. Virginia had done well.  
But there was one thing that confused Nicole: why only Wynonna had joined Waverly? Why didn't the cowboy leave with them?  
The red-haired woman looked at the truck for a few more seconds, then she vanished into a black cloud.

  
<><><>

"Do you think it's him?" Waverly asked, half-closing her eyes to the bright lights of the airport which, in contrast to the darkness outside, were now basically blinding her.  
"I hope so." Wynonna said, with an ill-concealed smile.  
"Wynonna...!"   
"What?" The woman turned to her sister, "he's handsome!"  
Waverly preferred not to comment.  
"Well, I'm gonna go ask him if he's the new agent." Wynonna advanced to a tall, muscular man. His skin was dark as ancient ebony; his hair black, short military style. But the most fascinating thing about the man was his eyes: they were so light brown that they were orange, perhaps golden... wonderful.  
"Hi, um, I was wondering if you were the person I was waiting for. The new agent for Purgatory." Wynonna said, smiling at the man. Boy, up close he looked even taller, muscular and damn handsome.  
"You must be Wynonna or Waverly. John's told me a lot about you."   
Wynonna felt a little guilty towards Henry for thinking that stranger was really charming.  
"Wynonna." She reached out her hand, and the man held it gently, but also with reassuring strength.  
"Xavier, Xavier Dolls." He said, showing off his perfect, white teeth.  
"This is my sister." Wynonna moved slightly to the side so the two of them could shake hands.  
"Nice to meet you. I'm Waverly Earp." She said, noting that Wynonna wasn't wrong, he was really very handsome. But there was something in that man's eyes that worried Waverly: they were somehow so similar to Nicole's left eye, and yet they were completely different.Not only because of the colors - he had orange, gold, and she was as blue as ice - in the man's eyes she saw the light and warmth of life. Not only because of the colors - he had orange, gold, while she had blue as ice - in the man's eyes she saw the light and warmth of life. Those eyes emanated calm, security and comfort.  
"Xavier, nice to meet you, Waverly." Maybe he noticed the way the girl stared at him, but he chose not to say anything.

Xavier offered to drive to Purgatory.  
"I can't believe you guys were under a dome for what, a month? It's really unbelievable. I watched the news for a while on TV, but then they stopped talking about it completely, it was like the world was ignoring it." He said, looking ahead, where the car headlights illuminated the long rectilinear before Purgatory.  
"Yeah..." Wynonna whispered, she didn't want to talk about it. The man seemed to understand it, since no one said anything until the car jumped on the furrows left by the dome.  
"Welcome to Purgatory." Waverly said.

At that exact moment, but a few miles southeast, in Michael's basement...  
"I took it all off, Nicole." Michael made a gesture towards the bare walls, where Nicole's representations were before.  
The blue-eyed woman was about to say something, but she suddenly got up from her armchair and, as her face distorted in a horrible grimace of anger and perhaps fear, she said, "He's here!"  
"Who?" Michael immediately regretted talking, because Nicole laid her eyes on him.  
But Nicole did nothing. She disappeared into a black cloud.

<><><>

Not many people knew, but south of Purgatory, and west of the mines, there was a wood, and in that wood there was a cave.  
That's where Virginia was at the time when Nicole appeared before her.  
"Were you hiding from me?" Nicole's tone was very calm.  
Virginia jumped, but somehow she didn't seem surprised by Nicole's presence.  
"I was hiding from the world, Miss Nicole." She replied with a barely audible whisper, "even when I was a child, I used to come here."  
"This place is soaked with fear and anger." Nicole said, touching the damp, smooth walls of the cave with her fingertips.  
"Are you mad at me?" She asked.  
Nicole sat by the little fire in front of Virginia, "do I have to be?"  
The girl remained silent, focusing on the flames.  
"I'm sorry for the way I treated you before, Virginia, I really am." Nicole said, approaching her left hand to the tongues of fire, they wrapped her hand without hurting it. "I wanted to make sure you weren't that old woman. She's very clever, she'd do anything to trick me, but she'd never let me touch her like that. Now she knows that I know... I know who she is."  
"I can accept the idea of dying." Virginia said, without any warning.  
Nicole was surprised, "I don't understand."  
"There is no place on this earth where I can hide from death, or from you." She continued.  
"I'm sorry you're prey to existential doubt, Virginia, but I need you to do something for me, find someone for me." Nicole said, without taking her hand out of the fire. "And that you kill him."  
"Death is the end of all fear... and I'm tired of being afraid." Virginia said, "I know you're going to kill me, so I came to this cave to seek peace and resignation to die. And I found them."  
"You're drunk." Nicole noticed the empty bottle of rum next to Virginia.  
"I am." She admitted it. "But I am also aware that you will kill me."  
"Why would I do that?" Nicole asked, without moving.  
"I failed."  
"What do you mean?"  
Virginia sighed, "Waverly will not leave Purgatory."  
A big vein drew vertically on Nicole's forehead, "I saw Waverly and Wynonna leave Purgatory less than two hours ago."  
"I think she'll come back. She took me for a fool. I only told her what you told me. I tried." Virginia said, without stopping staring at the fire and Nicole's hand.  
It was a flash, and Nicole's burning hand grabbed Virginia's chin, "you..."   
The girl screamed in pain as tears clouded her vision; the pain in her neck and chin, added to the stench of burnt skin, was unbearable.  
Unexpectedly, Nicole's hand let Virginia go.  
The girl wished to be much more drunk or to lose consciousness; the burns were very painful.  
"You're useless." Nicole got up and she vanished into a black cloud.

Nicole reappeared near the well, south of Homestead, she needed to calm down and think.  
Now she had three problems: Waverly still in town, the old woman, and then Him. He was a threat too big, but Nicole couldn't kill him, which is why she needed the help of a human being. Virginia, for the moment, couldn't take care of it, and Michael wasn't reliable enough. Maybe Nicole should have been looking for someone else, but what if she revealed herself to the wrong person? A disaster.  
She had no idea how she was gonna fix the situation.  
What if more had come along? Of course there would have been others...  
For a brief moment, Nicole wished she was still in hell. But it wasn't possible. She'd done too much damage. She'd done something that couldn't be undone.  
But Nicole also had another wish, one infinitely more dangerous: to see Waverly, to touch her, to smell her scent... to kiss her.  
Nicole wondered how Waverly would react to seeing her again. Would she hug her? Would she run away? No matter how Nicole thought about it, she couldn't get an answer.  
Of course, she'd rather Waverly leave town, she'd rather the girl be away from her than in danger. But Nicole also knew that she couldn't force Waverly to do anything: it was part of Nicole's new powers, and among those powers there were also limitations, like not being able to order anything, or better said, not being able to break the free will of a human being. Not anymore.  
The Devil confuses you, but he also says, "You are the God of yourself."  
Nicole's heart accelerated. Maybe she should try something... to see Waverly.


	4. L'arcangelo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, guys,  
> I'm sorry, I would have liked to publish more frequently. And I'm not even sure I'm doing a good job, you'll be the one to tell me.  
> I hope you are all well.  
> Have a good reading.  
> Oh, one thing: would it be better for you to have shorter but more frequently updated chapters or longer chapters at a longer distance? All this because my connection is very slow and I often have problems with publication and correction. Let me know.  
> -Aurora.

**4**

**L'Arcangelo**

"I hope I'm not disturbing." Xavier Dolls sat on the sofa, but his pose was not relaxed.  
"It was I who asked you to stay here." Wynonna looked at the dark-skinned man and smiled, "I'm not sure if my husband is at the police station, so we'd better wait for him here."  
Waverly watched the scene without knowing exactly what to think: she wasn't sure if that was a good idea, somehow, the whole situation reminded her of Nicole.  
"Very well." Xavier looked around, but his eyes didn't really seem to be looking for anything.  
"Can I offer you something to drink?" Wynonna asked, pointing to the kitchen.  
The man turned his attention back on her and smiling, he replied: "a fruit juice, maybe?".  
The white-haired woman seemed surprised by the request, but she nodded without comment.  
Now that Waverly was alone in the room with the dark-skinned man, she felt the discomfort grow in her belly. Actually the man didn't seem threatening, but the more Waverly looked at him the more she found some similarities with Nicole, similarities that clashed with each other as if Xavier was the sun and Nicole was the moon.  
"Who are you really? The question had escaped from Waverly's lips without the girl being able to do anything about it.  
The man smiled and his eyes slowly settled on the girl, "no one you should be afraid of, clever girl".  
Then it was true! There was really something strange about the new agent!  
"You are here to..." but before she could continue the question, Wynonna returned to the living room with a glass full of apple juice.  
The white-haired woman hesitated for a few moments, as if she had understood that something had happened during her absence.  
"I hope you like apple. I have nothing else, I am sorry."   
Dolls smiled at the woman, showing off her very white tidy teeth, "it's my favorite."  
Waverly remained silent watching the scene, continuing to wonder if she should talk to Wynonna about Xavier. But was there really something to say?  
"Waverly? Did you hear me?" Wynonna had her hands on her hips and looked at her in a strange way.  
"No... no, Wynonna, I didn't hear you, I was lost in my thoughts." She admitted.  
The white-haired woman turned toward the man, "I apologize for my sister, she is sometimes a little distracted..."  
The man simply smiled again, "it doesn't matter."  
"So what?" Waverly felt uncomfortable and a slight sense of anger began to grow in her.  
"I asked you if..." but Wynonna did not finish the sentence: the front door had opened and the sheriff had entered.  
Waverly took advantage of Henry's presence to leave the room, heading out, "excuse me, I need some air".  
If someone tried to stop her, she would not have been able to say so.

The evening air was stinging and pungent, soon the rain would turn into snow.  
"What should I do?" She asked herself, remaining motionless in the night.  
"What torments you, clever girl?"  
Waverly jumped from fright. She had not heard the door open and no steps behind her, yet turning around she found herself face to face with Dolls.  
"I thought you were inside." She said, trying to hide the surprise and the fear.  
The man smiled, "I am also in there." He pointed to the living room window and Waverly saw her sister, Henry and Dolls inside.  
"How many copies of yourself can you make?"  
Xavier smiled, and a voice behind Waverly answered, "infinite."  
Turning around, Waverly saw another copy of the Dolls.  
"You don't seem surprised."  
She shook her head, "I'm not, in fact."  
"Who are you?" Waverly turned to one of the clones, while the other vanished.  
"I have already answered this question. You don't have to be afraid of me."  
"Why did you show yourself to me? Why did you reveal your powers to me?" Waverly asked, trying to ignore the cold that began to bite her flesh.  
"There would have been no point in hiding me from you: you immediately understood that I was not human. I thought that using the same strategy as... what is her name? Ah, Nicole. I thought that using the same strategy as Nicole would protect my true identity until the right moment, but it is clear that you have discovered me".  
"What is the correlation between you and Nicole?"  
"None, hundreds. There is no correct answer."  
"If you won't tell me your name, at least tell me what you are."   
The man smiled benevolently, "I am an Archangel."  
"If what you say corresponds to the truth, must I think that you are good...?"  
"Good and evil are outdated concepts, don't you think? What is good, what is evil?"  
"You talk like her."   
The man laughed, "see? We are not so different, but she is the God of deception, while my task is to dispel illusions".  
"You know you have just revealed two important pieces of information to me, don't you?" Waverly asked, questioning the intelligence of man.  
"Tell me, clever girl, what have my words given you?" He seemed calm.  
"You made me realize that she is still alive. And secondly, you revealed your true identity to me. After understanding what Nicole was, I did a lot of research, in two years I had the opportunity to study many things related to religion".  
"And tell me, the thought that she is still alive, how does it make you feel?"  
Waverly tightened her jaws, unable to linger on that thought.  
"All right, then come on, tell me who I am. Say my name!"  
"What happens if I say your name?" Waverly wasn't even sure she wanted to hear the answer.  
"I will be able to wake up. I will have access to one hundred percent of my powers."  
"I understand..." Waverly nodded, "You can't say your name?"  
He shook his head, "first it has to be a human to do it. My name has almost been forgotten."  
" All right... I won't say your name until I understand what you want from my family."  
"Do you still think I can hurt you?" The Archangel seemed surprised.  
"I don't trust anyone."  
"I understand." He nodded, "but I want you to know that I am not an enemy, I am here to help this city full of darkness."  
"Purgatory is certainly not a perfect city, but I think it is time for humans to handle their affairs, as we have done for thousands of years. You creatures can't think you can go down or up to earth now and then and act as if we humans are just pawns on your chessboard!"  
"I understand your anger, Waverly."  
"So?" She extended her arms.  
"I will wait for some human to say my name. I really hoped that you would be the one to do it."  
"Why? What do you want from us?"  
"I am not the only creature here in Purgatory, I cannot allow this city to sink back into the darkness of fear and manipulation."  
"Who else is here?" Waverly asked, praying not to hear Nicole's name.  
"At least two others like me are here in Purgatory." He looked around, stopping his gaze at a faraway point, wrapped in the night. "Purgatory is only the first door, the whole world is in danger."  
"Do you know? I'm really sick of all this." Waverly walked towards the end of the street, to the main street.  
The Archangel was really surprised by the young woman's reaction, but he said nothing and watched her walk away.

Waverly Earp reached the monument-car when the first snowflakes began to fall. She was cold, but the need to be alone was much stronger.  
She had been sitting on the concrete of the monument for a few minutes when she felt she was no longer alone. She would not have been able to explain how, but she knew it.  
"Come out, whoever you are." She said, ostentatiously calmer than she actually was.  
A voice came from the darkness beyond the streetlight that illuminated the monument-car.  
"You'll catch a cold this way."  
Waverly felt as if her heart could burst in her chest: she recognized that voice.  
Nicole left the darkness and the streetlight illuminated her completely.  
Waverly and Nicole looked at each other in silence as if they were two adversaries.  
"I have thought a lot about you." Nicole took a step towards the girl, slowly as if she was afraid to frighten her.  
Waverly remained silent amazed at how much Nicole's blue eye shone. She didn't know how she would behave, what she would say to Nicole, what she was really feeling at that moment.  
"Don't you tell me anything?" The smile on Nicole's face was shy, almost insecure.  
Waverly bit her lower lip, "what do you want me to say, Nicole?"  
The red-haired woman approached the young woman, "how are you?"  
Waverly laughed, "go away, Nicole."  
It was clear that Nicole was not expecting anything like that.   
"Why are you acting as if I were the enemy?"  
"Do you understand that I am only a human being, Nicole? Can you understand this simple thing?"  
"I do not understand what the point is."   
Waverly looked at Nicole with intense emotion, "my heart is beating fast in my chest... I can't understand why."  
Nicole knelt down in front of the girl, on the thin blanket of snow, "mine is beating hard too, Waverly."  
Nicole's face was only a few centimeters from Waverly's, she studied it carefully.  
"I would like to kiss you, but at the same time I would like to hit you, Nicole." She said, lingering on the woman's lips.  
"I know you're confused, I understand that..." Nicole wanted to add something, but maybe she didn't know exactly what either.  
"A part of me hates you."   
Nicole nodded, "I understand."  
"I thought for a long time about the moment when I would see you again..."  
Nicole's eyes stayed still in Waverly's, "is this how you imagined it?"  
Waverly nodded, "yes. It's something I can't handle."  
Nicole licked her lips, "maybe we should just let things take their natural course..." in less than a second, Waverly and Nicole's lips touched each other.  
At first, Waverly kissed Nicole back, and from her lips a needy moan fled. But soon after, the girl pulled Nicole's body away from hers.  
"No... No, Nicole... I can't."  
Nicole's eyes remained closed, "maybe you can't, but I feel that's what you want too."  
"I thought you were a good person, Nicole. Then I found out who you really were and I was very afraid..."  
Nicole didn't let Waverly finish the sentence, "Have I ever hurt you, Waverly? Answer me."  
"Not directly."  
"I didn't kill the sheriff, I could have, but I let him live."  
"My sister almost died of heartbreak...her hair are still white."  
"But she is alive!" It was almost a growl. "All of you are alive! It was I who removed the dome!"  
"And all those whom you have killed, Nicole? Perhaps you have forgotten them, but I haven't."  
"Human life has no value for me. I cannot feel sorry for something that does not interest me."  
"News of the last hour: I am human too, Nicole!"  
"What does this have to do with it? You are not like them." Nicole's eyes shone with anger and passion.  
"What would be the difference between them and me? Uh?!"  
Nicole lowered her voice, "I care about you".  
"Even if I believed you, Nicole, I don't know you...you have given me only fragments of you...you promised that you would answer all of my questions, but you have filled me with lies. I don't know who you are!"  
"I have answered all of your questions, always..."  
"They were all lies."  
Nicole stood up, "no."  
"No?" Waverly also stood up, "I don't trust you!"  
"Come away with me, Waverly..." Nicole's tone had become sweet and calm.  
"You are sick..." Waverly shook her head.  
"Please, you are not safe here."  
"Really, and what is the threat? The Archangel..."  
"Do not say his name!" Nicole's hand covered Waverly's lips.  
The girl freed from Nicole's hand, "why shouldn't I?"  
"Iblis, I order you to get away from that girl!" Xavier Dolls' voice resounded in the night. Only a second later, Nicole was on her knees as if the weight of the world had fallen on her shoulders and was slowly but inexorably crushing her to the ground.  
"What are you doing to her?!" Waverly screamed, unable to understand how to behave.  
"Only in the East do they call me this way." Nicole was struggling to get up, but hers was a struggle that she seemed unable to win.  
"Say my name and kill this abomination, Waverly. Let me save you and all of you." The archangel said.  
"You cannot kill me!" In Nicole's voice was all the effort she was making.  
"I don't, but she does!" He smiled.  
"I don't want to kill anyone! Let her go!" Waverly stood before Dolls, looking at him intensely.  
"She will cause pain to you and all those you love. She will take them away from you."  
"Why should I believe you?!" Waverly shouted.  
"I ask you for an act of faith." The man answered.  
"An act of faith...but I don't trust any of you!"  
"Waverly...help me..." Nicole's voice was little more than a suffering whisper.  
"She wants to deceive you. Say my name! Quick, Waverly, I can't hold her still much longer."  
"I won't do anything at all. I won't say your name and I won't help her." Waverly crossed her arms to her chest to emphasize her words.  
Nicole moaned and immediately afterwards she was back on her feet.  
"You're making a mistake." The Archangel vanished into thin air.  
"Waverly..." Nicole approached the girl.  
"I want you to go away. I want you all to go to hell!" Warm tears were streaming down the girl's cold cheeks.  
"Listen to me, Waverly..."  
"Why did he call you Iblis?"  
"It is the way Islam calls the Devil..."  
"I know that too!" Waverly shouted, "I asked you why!"  
"Because I am the bringer of light, now and forever."  
Before Waverly could replicate, a powerful white light enveloped her and she found herself in the living room of the Homestad.  
"What the hell...!?"  
"I have shown you one of the possible futures." Dolls said, sitting on the couch as before, "you wouldn't like to see how it ends."  
"I hope you like the apple. I don't have anything else, I'm sorry." Wynonna said, returning to the room.  
"It's my favorite."   
Waverly was absolutely devastated. Did she just have a vision or something? If she went out, would she really have met Nicole?  
And who was Nicole now?


	5. Angel of Death

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning:  
> It is my duty to inform you that this chapter contains the Death of a Main Character. In this chapter there are also scenes of violence that could disturb the most sensitive people.   
> But my advice, if the intention is to continue to follow the story, is to get to the end of the chapter.  
> Grazie.

**5**   
**L'angelo della Morte**

  
Waverly had remained patiently silent while her sister, Doc and the Archangel spoke.  
"I will accompany you to the police lodgings. Tomorrow I will give you the uniform and we will finish all the formalities." Doc stood up, but before Xavier could answer, Waverly said, "I'll take him to the lodgings, I need to get some fresh air."  
"But it's the middle of the night and it's snowing." Wynonna didn't seem convinced.  
"What could happen to me? I could at most meet the Devil..." Waverly's sarcasm left Doc and Wynonna confused.  
"I'll take care of her, at least for the first part of the trip." Xavier said, standing up and winking at Waverly.

"The future you showed me was inconclusive." Waverly wrapped her arms around her body to protect herself from the snow and wind.  
Dolls smiled, "Trust me, if you had walked out that door like you did in the vision I showed you, the consequences would have been unpleasant for anyone."  
"But I'm going to meet her again anyway, aren't I?"  
The man remained silent.  
"A part of me would like to kill her..."  
"But another part of you cares about her." The man concluded.  
The girl remained silent for a few minutes, thinking back to the fake meeting she had had with Nicole.  
"She is dangerous."  
"And you are not?" Waverly asked.  
"Well, you're out here all alone with me. It doesn't seem to me that you are afraid."  
"That's not an answer."  
"It is. I am not dangerous for you."  
"For whom are you dangerous, then?"  
"For that deceiving demon, for example." He answered.  
"But I would like to remember that she sacrificed herself to save us all."  
"To save you. And only because it was over for her."  
"I believe that she is fond of me, that she really cares about me..." Waverly said, looking at the streetlight that they were about to pass.  
"You seem very confused to me, Waverly."  
"I am." She did not even try to deny it.  
"It is she who confuses you. It is her nature."  
The girl stopped under a lamppost, and Dolls did the same.  
"I know you're trying to get me on your side, but being a pal won't work on me. I'm not taking sides anywhere."  
"But you're out here with me. It's me you want to talk to. Not with her." He replied.  
"I just want some answers... or maybe not. I am not sure what I really want either."  
"That is clear. All I am asking you to do is to make a choice: her or me."  
"I don't know you."  
"Do you know her?"  
"Perhaps more than I know you."  
"Are you really so sure?"  
Waverly sighed, "no... but I don't want you to kill her."  
"She must cease to exist."  
"I disagree."  
"All you have to do is say my name. I promise that nothing bad will happen to your family in this way."  
"Satan, the Devil... Lucifer...was the most beautiful angel in heaven...even today he is the first star to be seen in the morning..." Waverly did not continue, but she was sure that man knew what she was trying to say.  
In fact...  
"But he rebelled against God." He said, "Do you think that I too can be a corrupt angel, why shouldn't I, after all?"  
"Exactly." Waverly nodded. "I understand very well that what's about to happen is something big. What I don't understand is why you creatures can't stay in your place and leave us humans alone."  
"We did not begin this chapter of your history." The man said.  
"I don't think Nicole started all this: she was imprisoned under the dome just like all the others."  
"Why was the dome there?"  
Waverly remained silent for a few seconds, "I'm not sure at all."  
"It was for her, to test Nicole. She failed."  
Waverly shook her head, "she sacrificed herself, she put our lives before hers."  
"We've already talked about this, it seems to me. She had no choice."  
"She just wanted to be loved... the way she behaved is not honorable, right or fair, but maybe it is not important now."  
"Do you know the story of Lilith?"  
"I do not understand." The girl looked at the man with an interrogative air.  
"Do you know her or not?" He said.  
"All right...she was Adam's first wife, so preceding Eve...so?"  
"When Lilith left the garden, she met the Devil, but since he was imprisoned in the stone, or in the ice -varies from myth to myth-, up to the navel they could not physically have sex".  
"I don't follow you."  
"The Devil can never manifest himself in person because he is imprisoned, his manifestations occur through illusions, illusory manifestations, possessions... it would be better to say that he could not".  
"Can he now?" Waverly was not sure that she was understanding the subject.  
"Just over thirty years ago, Lilith managed to free her lover from the stone prison. She and the Devil had sexual intercourse, real and carnal. Lilith became pregnant."  
Waverly felt her body hot and icy at the same time, "who was born from that sexual intercourse?"  
"Didn't you get it?" He looked into her eyes as if her gaze could prevent Waverly from fainting.  
"I want you to be the one to say it."  
"Nicole."  
"I... I need a minute..." Waverly ignored the fact that the asphalt was cold and covered with snow and sat down on the ground.  
"Breathe slowly, girl." Dolls sat on his ankles, lowering himself to Waverly's height.  
"Nicole... Nicole told me that...she told me that her mother was human, that she died giving birth to her... why did she lie to me about that?"  
"For once, Nicole did not lie to you. She did not know the truth. But I think that she knows it now."  
"What...what makes you think that?" Waverly's body was shaking. She couldn't say exactly what upset her that much, but something was definitely undermining her mental health.  
"I don't think that's any of your business, Shushienae." Nicole was advancing towards the two of them like a fury, "you have no right to do that! Get away from her or I will kill you!"  
Waverly and Shushienae turned to the redheaded woman.  
"Nicole..." Waverly was certain that this could not be real.  
"Lucifer, I kindly ask you to stop your path."  
"You cannot give me orders." Nicole's eyes were flaming with anger.  
"I have asked you kindly." He repeated.  
"Why do you call her Lucifer...? she is his daughter...she is not the Devil..."   
"Waverly." Nicole approached the girl, "this is not how I imagined our meeting, but I have no other choice, come away with me."  
"Do not touch her." Dolls, Shushienae... in short, he got between Nicole and Waverly.  
"Why do you want at all costs for me to go away with you...?" Waverly's voice was a whisper that risked getting lost in the icy wind.  
The woman with the blue eye was about to say something, but her gaze settled to the right of the two, "shit..."  
The Archangel Shushienae and Waverly also looked in the same direction Nicole was looking in.  
"It's Dumah..." Shushienae said.  
"Death is near..." Nicole added. "We must protect Waverly!"  
"He's not here for her." Dolls answered.  
In all of this, Waverly had stood motionless staring at the strange figure that had appeared in the middle of the street. She wasn't sure if it was a man or a woman: the creature was entirely dressed in a long black cloak that covered its entire body and head. It was very tall, much taller than Nicole, or any being Waverly had ever seen. In its left hand it had a sword covered with tongues of fire. When the figure turned towards them, Waverly saw hundreds, no, thousands of eyes shining in the light of the fire of its sword.  
"The Angel of Death..." Waverly had difficulty breathing, "he is here to carry someone's soul..."   
"He is certainly not here for the two of us, damn it! He must be here for her!" Nicole shouted, pointing at Waverly.  
"I am sure it is not for her." Shushienae answered.  
"How can you be so sure? His name means 'silence', you can't ask him!" Nicole was clearly upset.  
"See for yourself..." the man pointed to a distant spot along the straight line where headlights began to approach, "it's for those who are in that car."  
Even before she recognized the approaching vehicle, Waverly felt nauseous going up and a bad feeling of heaviness crushed her chest.  
"No!" She screamed, "it's Wynonna's van!" Waverly got up to run towards the vehicle, but Dolls' strong arms stopped her.  
"Let me go!" She cried as the angel of death and Wynonna's pickup truck approached each other.  
"Take her away from the road!" Nicole said to Shushienae, seeing that the blue van was beginning to skid, "now!"  
The Archangel did not need to be repeated, with one jump he flew into the air, away from the road. The mighty beat of his huge wings was almost deafening.  
"Nicole, do something, please!" Waverly didn't know if Nicole had heard her: she and the Archangel were very high up and his wings kept making a deafening sound.  
The red-haired woman began to run in the same direction in which the angel of death was slowly advancing. But when the woman was behind the creature, an invisible force threw her many meters away, far from the road.  
The angel of death and the blue van were less than three feet from each other, but just as Waverly thought the creature would be run over, the van turned violently to the left and, after hitting one of the streetlights, rolled through the fields like a sock in a washing machine.  
Waverly's scream covered every other sound.

"Take me down!"   
Shushienae's wings began to flutter more slowly as he and the young woman descended.  
When they landed, Nicole was already running towards the overturned pickup truck.  
"Why the hell did you attack me, you asshole?!" Nicole yelled as she passed by the angel of death.  
The red-haired woman literally tore the tin door off to look inside.  
"Nicole, who is...?" Waverly had weak knees and soft as butter, she did not have the courage to approach.  
"It's better if you don't look, Waverly..." Nicole replied, covering the driving side of the vehicle with her body.  
"Tell me what is it, Nicole! I want to know! Is it Henry? Wynonna? Both of them?!"  
"Nicole is right, Waverly, I'd better take you home now. There's nothing you can do." Shushienae had his hands tight around the girl's shoulders.  
"Nicole!" Waverly screamed again.  
The red-haired woman nodded, and bending over, she recovered what was inside the destroyed vehicle.  
At first, Waverly did not recognize the person Nicole had in her arms: the victim's hair was dark red, very similar to Nicole's hair. But then the girl also saw white and realized that the red color was given by the blood.  
"WYNONNA!" It was a scream that had little or nothing human, someone could have associated it with the cry of a harpy.  
Nicole got up and continued to hold Wynonna's body in her arms and slowly approached the other two, while the angel of death followed her a short distance away.  
"She is still breathing ... you can say goodbye ..." Nicole stopped in front of Waverly.  
The girl observed the body, soft and covered with blood of her sister, she listened to the heavy rattle coming out irregularly from the mouth of the white-haired woman.  
"I'm so sorry, Waverly." Nicole said, kneeling down, but without leaving Wynonna's body.  
Big tears fell relentlessly from the eyes of the young woman and her mouth was open in a mute cry.  
"The snow formed a small slippery layer, the tires lost grip and... I'm sorry, Waverly." Nicole said, looking for the eyes of the smaller girl.  
She fell down on her knees, her hand settled on her forehead now almost cold from her sister, "it's my fault... she came looking for me".  
"It was her destiny, none of us could prevent it." Shushienae said, standing behind the girl.  
"Shut up!" She shouted, "all of you shut up and go to hell!" Waverly put her head on Wynonna's chest now almost silent and motionless, and she cried, cried as she had never cried in her life. The pain she felt cannot be explained to someone who has never lost someone they loved.  
"She is here..." Nicole's voice was a barely audible whisper.  
"Death..." Shushienae and Nicole observed the woman slowly approaching them.  
That was probably not the right time to appreciate it, but if it had been different, if things hadn't been so tragic, and if that creature hadn't brought such painful consequences with her, those present would have witnessed the apparition of the most beautiful woman ever seen.   
Death was advancing towards them, her steps were slow and delicate. The long black tunic rose slowly while her white, barefoot feet walked without noise on the asphalt. The woman's face was ageless, pure and luminous. Her eyes so clear that they looked white were emotionless, but there was no trace of coldness in them. Her long, silvery hair framed her skinny but soft, though pale, face.

The one who has the responsibility to tell you the following stories is a simple human being, but she would like to be a different creature to be able to describe how beautiful and pure that vision actually was.

Death knelt beside Waverly and Nicole, on Wynonna's body.  
"Let me give her my kiss, creature." She said, turning to Waverly. God, her voice was soft, serene and sweet as honey.  
"I don't want you to take her, please..." Waverly grabbed Wynonna's jacket between her fingers and held the fabric tight.  
Nicole and Shushienae remained silent, almost as if they were afraid of disturbing such a strong and delicate moment.  
"She is suffering a lot. I feel your pain, little creature, and it causes me sorrow. Let me take care of her."  
"Please...." the sobs shook Waverly's body, "please, she is still breathing... if we take her to the hospital she could still be saved."  
Death caresses Waverly's hair as a mother caresses her son, "she is waiting for my kiss. The only thing keeping her alive is this waiting, but this is no life."  
"I don't want her to suffer..." Waverly's voice was now a lament muffled by crying.  
"Give her your farewell, little creature, when your time comes I will personally ask Dumah to take you to her."  
"I think...I think she wants to be reincarnated... this is what she believes will happen after death..."  
"Then I will see to it that you meet again in the next life." The tone of Death was always sweet and caring.  
"What about heaven and hell...?" Instinctively, Waverly looked at Nicole. But the red-haired woman said nothing.  
"Don't think about it, little creature. Wynonna is waiting exactly where she was always destined to go once her life cycle had died out." Death answered.  
"Will she be happy... will she be happy where she's going?" Waverly asked.  
"Yes, she will be very happy." Death smiled sweetly at her. "Let her go."  
"It's just that... it's just that I feel like I'm betraying her, it's as if I'm killing her and..." the crying interrupted the young woman's sentence.  
"You're not doing anything wrong, little creature." The tone of Death was as patient and caring as the first moment.  
Waverly took a deep breath and, lowering herself on Wynonna's face, said goodbye.  
Death's pale hands took the place of Nicole's and gently lifted Wynonna's body. Death held Wynonna in her arms as if they were tender lovers, and while Wynonna opened her eyes, Death kissed her lips.  
Wynonna's breath died out in the silence of the night.  
Dumah, the angel of death, approached Death who still held the lifeless body of the white-haired woman.  
"You know what to do, Dumah." Death said, while Dumah put down the flaming sword and took Wynonna.  
"Don't take her body away from me too, please!" Waverly was still kneeling before Nicole, in the same position as when she had said goodbye to Wynonna.  
"Don't worry, little creature, Dumah is just taking her soul to accompany her on her journey. We will meet again." So saying, Death vanished.  
Wynonna's body disappeared from Dumah's arms and returned to Nicole's legs, while Dumah vanished turning into the night.

There was a dazzling white light, and Waverly found herself in the living room of the Homestead.

"I hope you like apple. I have nothing else I am sorry." Wynonna was entering the room with a glass of apple juice.  
"Wynonna!" Waverly literally jumped on her, without worrying about dropping the glass, which fell on the floor and shattered.  
"Oh God, Wynonna! You're alive, you're still alive!" Waverly's eyes were filled with new and completely different tears: tears of joy.  
"Waverly?! What the hell's the matter with you? I was barely gone a minute!"  
But Waverly did not answer to her sister, she turned to Dolls, still sitting on the couch, and she shouted, "That's enough! You can't play with my mind like that! You have no right!!! Do you think this is funny?!"  
"Okay... what the hell is going on here?!" Wynonna freed herself from Waverly's arms.  
Dolls raised his arms and assumed an innocent and oblivious expression.  
Waverly was about to shout something else to Dolls, but she finally changed her mind and said instead: "he's staying with us tonight, I'll give him my room, I don't care! Nobody is taking the car tonight! Nobody will move from here".  
At that moment the door opened and Sheriff Henry entered. And he, like the other two, looked at Waverly without understanding the reason for the screams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes? What are you doing down here? I will not give you spoilers.


	6. Confrontation -Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, I disappeared again. I've been having a lot of trouble.

**6**

Waverly was scared and confused. If the vision the Archangel had shown her really corresponded to a possible future, then the things she had heard were also true. Then Nicole's real mother was Lilith; this scared the hell out of her. The established fact that Nicole was actually the Devil's daughter was not good news, but Lilith... somehow to Waverly this seemed even worse.  
Then there was another question that plagued Waverly: would Wynonna die that night? Or would she only die if Waverly had accompanied Dolls back to the city?  
"I demand answers!" She shouted, as Wynonna and Henry still stared at her.  
"Waverly, what-" But Wynonna froze and her body became hard as stone. Henry also suffered the same effect.  
"What are you doing to them?" Waverly asked, immediately realizing that Dolls was the cause of this.  
"I stopped time." The archangel replied. "Tonight I am giving you the gift of a great power: choosing your future."  
"Why me?"  
"Because I like you and I trust that your pure heart can lead us all to salvation."  
"My heart is not pure. I killed a man." Waverly replied, thinking back to what had happened near the dome two years earlier.  
"It was an accident."  
"But my soul is no longer pure."  
"I spoke of heart, not soul."   
"Is there a difference?" Waverly looked skeptical.  
"Of course."  
"So what? I'm destined to be stuck at this point in my life continuing to see possible futures?"  
"One of the futures you see will be the ultimate one, if you don't find the right one to follow. Once that destiny is fulfilled you won't be able to go back."  
"How many more futures will you show me?"  
"One, a thousand, none. It's all up to you."  
"So now I may be inside a vision as well as not at all?"  
The archangel nodded.  
"What if I asked you to tell me? To tell me if this is a vision or not, what would you say?"  
"I couldn't answer you. How would I know if what we are experiencing is real or just a possible reality?"  
"You're asking me?! You are the Archangel here! You're the one who dispels doubt and deception!"  
"It's not that easy."  
Waverly took a long, deep breath, trying to think clearly, "Will Death and Dumah appear tonight for my sister? Is it her fate to die tonight?"  
"It depends on you. It depends on the fate your heart chooses to follow."  
"I don't want my heart to choose, I want my mind to choose! And that's not a gift, it's a curse!"  
"Knowledge is a very powerful weapon, I agree. It's something that if used improperly can be very dangerous."  
"Of course! Let's put such a powerful weapon in the hands of a human being, that sounds like a great idea!"  
"I don't think sarcasm is going to help us."  
"And I don't think I can carry that weight." Waverly replied.  
"You don't have a choice because you have infinite ones, even choosing to die is a choice, doing absolutely nothing is impossible."  
"What if I just stand here motionless without interacting with anything or anyone?"  
"That's your choice." He replied.  
"Then tell me this: why did you stop the first vision? The one where Nicole, you and I were by the car-monument? Why did you stop me from seeing how it would end?"  
"I couldn't let you see your own death, you weren't ready."  
Waverly gasped, "my own death?! And how the hell was I going to die!"  
"You would have died trying to stop the fight between Nicole and me."  
"That's absurd!"  
"I understand your fear and confusion." The Archangel said, granting the young woman an understanding smile.  
"Now I'm going to walk out of here and you won't follow me." Was the girl's reply, "I don't want you to follow me!"  
Waverly had already grabbed her jacket when the Archangel spoke again.  
"You're going to find that demon." It wasn't a question.  
"I want the answers you don't seem intent on giving me." She replied, without stopping to dress.  
"Say my name and all will be clear to you."  
"I refuse." But before closing the door behind her, Waverly added, "keep Wynonna or anyone from leaving Homestead. Can you do that for me?"  
"I can't promise anything. When time runs out again they'll wonder why you're not in this room anymore."  
The door was open and the girl standing still on the threshold was tasting the chill the wind brought with it, "make something up." So saying, Waverly stepped through the front door and she stepped out into the night.

The young woman walked down the stretch that separated the garden from the main street, and without hesitation, she shouted, "Nicole! Show yourself!"  
She knew that Nicole was nearby: she had seen it in previous visions, probably the woman was watching her from afar waiting for the right moment.  
In fact, a few moments later, a mature and sweet voice penetrated the night until it reached Waverly.  
"Hi..." Nicole's face also emerged from the darkness as the first snowflakes began to fall.  
Like the first time, the two studied each other in silence for an indefinable amount of time.  
"Aren't you going to tell me anything?" Nicole moved a few steps towards the young woman, cautiously.  
"We've already had this conversation, Nicole. What I haven't had are answers, and I pray that you're at least willing to give them to me."  
"I don't think I understand the meaning of your words..." Nicole admitted, continuing to advance slowly towards the smaller girl.  
"You're not the one who is supposed to understand, I am!" They were words that came out in a rush, like water being released after a dam collapses.  
"Maybe I'm a little confused, but hey... hi..." she smiled lovingly at her, stopping just short of her.  
"Don't be like that. Tell me why you want to take me away from Purgatory instead! Tell me what you're planning this time."  
The blue-eyed woman licked her lips, "It's clear I've missed something. You don't seem surprised to see me at all, but there's more: you knew I was here."  
Waverly continued as if Nicole hadn't uttered a single word, "why is it possible in Purgatory now to physically witness the appearance of Angels and Demons that until yesterday were invisible to the human eye? I can understand you and the Archangel taking on human forms, but what about Death or Dumah!"  
"Can you just trust me?" Although those statements had surprised her, Nicole maintained an admirable calm.  
"Forget it! Give me answers or I swear I will pronounce the Archangel's name."  
"You have no idea what I had to do to get back to you...nor do you seem to understand how much the threat of allying yourself with him hurts me."   
"I know who you are now, Nicole." Waverly hesitated, "and I also know the name of your real mother."  
Nicole began to tremble as if those words had inflicted tremendous pain on her.  
"I didn't want to lie to you about my background. I thought I knew the truth, but once again I was a victim of deception. I would have told you everything, even how I inherited the throne that once belonged to the first fallen archangel, Lucifer. I want to tell you everything if you will give me the time to do so."   
"I know you didn't lie to me about your mother, I know you thought you told me the truth." Waverly replied, "but that doesn't change anything, Nicole. I want you to tell me why you're here."  
"For you..."  
Waverly backed away slowly, "don't fuck with me! I'm sick of watching your mouth open to spew lies!"  
"I'm not lying!" Nicole also raised her voice, "is it possible that you don't understand how much I care about you!"  
"Maybe you're here for me too," she pointed out, "but what else, Nicole? What are you planning to do!"  
The red-haired woman lowered her gaze to the ground slowly turning white under the snow, "you wouldn't understand."  
"Explain it to me!"  
But in response, Nicole said, "if I let you take Wynonna and the sheriff with you, would you leave Purgatory like I asked you to?"  
Waverly shook her head and gave Nicole a look filled with regret and anger, "you haven't changed."  
"I just want to..."   
"No!" Waverly shouted, "I'll do the talking now. Staying in Purgatory seems the only way to keep you from doing what you have in mind. I'll give you three days, Nicole, at the end of which I will pronounce his name."  
Both of Nicole's eyes turned blue and glowed in the night, "how dare you!" She roared, in a voice that no longer sounded like her own, that had absolutely nothing human about it.  
It was something so terrifying that Waverly couldn't stop herself from falling on her butt in the fresh snow.  
"Shit." Nicole's right eye turned light brown again, "I'm sorry." She said, stepping closer to help Waverly to her feet.  
"Don't touch me!" The girl quickly got back up and, still afraid of Nicole's outburst, she stepped back, never losing sight of the woman's face.  
"Don't look at me like that, you know I would never hurt you! I'm trying so hard to protect you instead!" She shouted, advancing towards the young woman.  
Waverly had heard nothing, yet now, behind her she clearly distinguished the voices of Wynonna and John.


End file.
